


Blue Marks of Fate

by BastetTheWritingCat, Thecrazydragonlady15



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Soulmate AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-04-17 11:46:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14188260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BastetTheWritingCat/pseuds/BastetTheWritingCat, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thecrazydragonlady15/pseuds/Thecrazydragonlady15
Summary: A blue mark appears on the skin of a person’s soulmate when they are hurting. Fate does not care how strong or how long, emotional or physical. When both Marinette and Adrien experience their soulmate’s marks, there is a level of wonder and pain involved, and a series of events that eventually, push them to where they need to be.





	1. The Marks

**Author's Note:**

> Howdy all!
> 
> Welcome to the chaos. The Miraculous BB Post-Server got together and wanted to hold a mini fic war between the members. So, in a level of fluff and cuteness you probably are not prepared for, Bastet and I bring you soulmate AU #154564864866!
> 
> We hope you enjoy it!

The first time her skin ever lit up was a year before her first year of high school. Marinette Dupain-Cheng hummed lightly to herself as she sat at her desk, doodling in her sketchbook as a new dress design came to her mind, her legs swinging a bit off the ground as she worked. A Jagged Stone song played from her computer screen. When it was completed, she lifted the book, nodding at her work before she laid it back down and reached over to start gathering her materials to start bringing it to life. It was only when she dropped her pencil and had to look down did she notice the glow emanating off of her chest.

She dropped the other things she had grabbed as well. They scattered with tiny thuds onto the desk and floor, her chair scraping loudly across the wooden floor as she ran for the door. Her heart was racing a million miles a minute. Marinette flung it open, quickly descending the stairs two at a time, before she found herself panting in the family living room, her mother standing in their open kitchen. She swallowed hard. “M-Maman!” 

Sabine turned at the sound of the distress in her daughter’s voice. The plate she had been washing nearly slipped from her grasp when she saw her daughter’s chest colored a deep blue and glowing very prominently. Her own heart shot to her throat. Without wasting another second, she reached for her, pulling Marinette into a tight embrace as she shook. Sabine stroked her hair. She whispered to her in French at first but then switched to Chinese and, even though Marinette didn’t know what she was saying, it helped to calm her down as her own heart rate returned to normal and her shaking subsided enough that they were able to move to the couch. Tom appeared upstairs shortly after. Mari’s heart was still glowing and his face paled upon the sight, coming around to kneel in front of her as his eyes caught his wife’s. Marinette finally found her voice, “Wh-what is this? What’s going on?” The two adults once more shared a look but Sabine eventually placed a hand on her hands.

“Oh Marinette. It’s nothing to be scared over. Do you remember the stories I would tell you when you were younger? About the people who were fated to be with each other?” She nodded. “You see, that light is your connection to the person you were meant to be with.”

“She’s right,” Tom added in. “It’s how we found each other all those years ago as well.” Marinette blinked, sniffling.

“But why is this happening? I’ve never seen either of you light up like this before!” Tom rubbed the back of his head.

“Well sweetie, the truth is, no one really knows why it happens. Certain people do but a lot of people don’t and there’s no real rhyme or reason to when or how the lights show up.” Sabine squeezed her hand.

“The only thing,” she told her softly, “we know for sure is that when the person you are meant to be with is hurt, the glow appears on you. It doesn’t hurt but you can see their pain.” Marinette jerked, releasing one of her hands to touch the spot.

“Does this mean… does this mean this person is hurt right here?” They nodded sadly. Mari’s bottom lip quivered and she sniffed. Her soulmate was hurt and even though she couldn’t feel the exact pain, she knew that it wasn’t good; not with the light residing right where it did and there was nothing in her few powers that she could do to help them. 

That above all else scared her more than anything else.

Time passed. Eventually the glowing grew dimmer until it was only a tiny spot of light left; that, however, did not disappear and Mari, early on, would see it and bite her lip. The only thing she could think of was that whatever her partner was experiencing, it had to be emotional as the spot was persistent and refused to leave, marking the two of them for an unknown length of time. A year passed quickly. In that time, she found her skin would sometimes light up in a variety of ways. A line on the cheek. A spot on the ankle. Across her shoulder blades like angel wings. That one spot though remained and sometimes it would flair larger than ever; especially in the days after it had first appeared. The only thing she could do was touch the spot gently and curl up in her bed, hoping and praying that whatever was happening, would pass quickly for them and they would find their happiness again. 

Then, shortly before her first day at her new school, Marinette came to a startling realization. She was helping her mother in the bakery and once the last customer was out, the older woman turned to her. “How has your marks been Marinette,” she asked. “I haven’t seen anything lately.” The younger girl blinked. 

It was true. There hadn’t been much of anything for several months. She looked down at the spot that was currently covered but it didn’t need to be revealed for her to know where it was exactly it was. After all, she did check it every day out of fear that it would flair again and she would be unable to do anything. Softly, she touched the spot. 

“There hasn’t been anything,” she said softly. Sabine turned her head to eye her daughter.

“What’s wrong Mari?” 

Mari’s face twisted, “There hasn’t been anything lately Maman. I think… I think they’re living with this pain.” Sabine’s own face softened and she came over, hugging her daughter. 

“I’m sorry Marinette. I know how badly you want to help them but give it time. One day you’ll find each other and then you’ll be able to help them; one day, you’ll make it better together.” Marinette nodded, hiding her face in her mother’s shoulder.

One day couldn’t come fast enough.


	2. The Dangers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Adrien Agreste experiences his marks for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! 
> 
> Dragon here with the ever lovely Bastet to bring you all Chapter Two of our fic for the fic war we're in! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you all so much for the lovely reviews and comments on the first chapter. It means the world to the both of us! We hope that this chapter is just as exciting for you all!
> 
> Enjoy!

Adrien didn’t have nightmares; not since he was a little kid and was afraid of the dark. But tonight was different; he had woken pale as a sheet and sweating, a silent scream stuck on his throat. He stumbles out of bed and goes for the light switch but pauses mid step. There is a small blue dot on the skin of his finger, glowing brightly but it leaves as quickly as it came so he brushes it off as an aftershock of the nightmare and goes to turn on the light again.   

 

The next time it happens, both of his parents are away for the weekend for a fashion related event. He is in the care of Natalie but she is lenient enough to let him stay up playing video games as long as he finishes all his lessons and eats all his vegetables. He is about to make the final move to beat his opponent when the tiny speck of light appears again on one of his fingers. He puts down the controller, not bothering to pause the game, but the little dot disappears again before he can examine his finger. He resolves to ask someone about it in the morning but by the time he is awake, his parents are back and, in his excitement, he forgets about it.

 

A month later, a reminder in the form of a bright blue line appears on his left hand, this time it stays there for more than a few seconds. He traces the line with his finger, it’s no bigger than a few centimeters long and really thin. It reminds him of a paper cut. A brief night time story about a princess with blue marks on her skin flashes to his mind too. “Could it be…?” He quickly stands up to look for his mother or father to ask about it but stops himself just outside his door; it is not that late, barely nine o’clock, but it is the night before an event and everyone is already asleep.

 

“I’ll ask tomorrow for sure.” He mumbles before going back to his room.

 

The next day his mother is gone. His curiosity is replaced with a deep ache in his chest and he forgets about the mark.

 

Soon enough, his schedule is packed with activities. He is glad, it helps him focus on something else besides the pain and leaves him tired enough to not have nightmares at night. It also prevents him from seeing the marks again for several months.

 

When he is reminded of their existence again, it is not he who notices, but Natalie. He just finished a photoshoot for his father’s next summer wear, nothing fancy, just some shorts and T-shirts. Natalie is telling him about the next activity on his list when she pauses mid-sentence and stutters.

 

“Natalie? What is it?” It takes just a few seconds for he to recover but when she does, she closes the door of the trailer, sits and motions him to do the same next to her.

 

“There is… a mark on your right arm.” He looks at his arm immediately and there it is. A glowing blue mark, the size of an apple in the middle of his arm. Another has started to form on his knee. He stares mystified and slightly worried at them, is the first time he gets one this big.  “Adrien, has this ever happened before?” The worried expression on Natalie’s face snaps him out of it and he looks at her again.

 

“Yes, but this is the first time I’ve gotten more than one. And certainly, the first they are this big. They are usually just tiny dots on my fingers.  What’s happening Natalie? Are these really…?”

 

She sighs before answering and tries to put a calm expression on her face. “Yes, they are. There always have been too much speculation about the Marks but everyone agrees on two things: Somewhere out there, someone is wearing your pain in blue too. Physical or emotional and whoever that person is Adrien, you will always have a deep connection with them.”

 

Hope starts to blossom on his chest… a soulmate, bond-mate, destined. There is not a define word for it but there is nothing he wants more at the moment than meeting them, until Natalie starts talking again.

 

“I know you want to meet but this is something we can’t broadcast to the world. There have been… incidents before when fans got wind of a celebrity having the Marks. You will meet them, there is no doubt about it, but you have to be careful about this.”

 

That’s when he remembers the most recent incident, a mark-less fan of a movie star find out about his Marks and under the delusion of being his soulmate she went and stab herself in the arm right in front of him to prove it. When the marks didn’t appear, she had tried to stab him instead. Luckily security was able to contain her before she could do it.

 

In the end, Nathalie had told his father and together they had come up with a good enough plan to hide the Marks from the public. It wasn’t too difficult since most of his time was spent in the house and the sport he practiced didn’t leave much skin uncovered. Photoshoots, interviews and public appearances were to be moved around if the Marks became too noticeable. Long sleeves and globes became a thing and he had to tell Nathalie about any blue on his skin.  

 

In the end, it wasn't that hard to hide. Most of his Marks were on his knees and the palms of his hands -it seemed his soulmate was prone to falls- and they usually went away really quickly. He didn’t like to hide them but understood the necessity of it.

 

The nights were better though; when the pain became too much, he would stare at the Marks, trace them with his fingers and imagine his soulmate. Maybe it was a princess from a faraway country, a talented chef, a doctor, a teacher. Maybe it was just another girl like him, staying up until late at night playing video games. Whatever they were, he couldn't wait to meet them.


	3. The Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is bonding and a bit of chaos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> Both Dragon and I are very grateful and happy for all the love we have received so far on this fic and we are super excited to bring you chapter 3 today! We hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Till next time~

“Marinette,” a voice called. Stopping on the first stair leading up to the doors of Collège Françoise Dupont, the girl in question turned, a smile crossing her face in recognition. Running up to her was a dark skinned young woman with hair that was beautifully warm as it went from dark brown to orange at the tips. Alya Cesaire was a person one could not easily miss; her outfit, usually accented in bright oranges and reds, was easily an eye catcher and her personality matched it. Sometimes it amused the young half- French girl that these two had even managed to become friends on the first day of school. After all, Marinette had been a highly bit insecure and withdrawn, thankfully not so any more.

 

She turned all the way then, “Good morning Alya!”

 

“Morning girl,” she returned. The two bumped fists and moved their fingers in a particular way. It hadn’t taken them very long to create their own handshake after their friendship had solidified. Alya wrapped her arm through hers. The two walked inside. They talked briefly about some shenanigans the twins had gotten into last night (something about a food fight and potatoes stuck on the ceiling that she had to clean up). “Speaking of troublemaking,” Alya mused as they entered the classroom. “Nino and I are going to go get ice cream after school today. You wanna come?”

 

Marinette raised an eyebrow, sitting her bag down, “And be your third wheel? No way.” Alya laughed.

 

“It’s not like that! We wanted to go hangout with everybody since it’s been a while. We decided this pretty late last night so we figured we would just ask today.” She put her own bag down, pulling out her tablet. “So you in?”

 

“I guess so,” she returned. Tikki popped her head out of her bag. The two shared a brief smile before the teacher walked in and class began.

 

*****

Apparently asking last minute with a class of high schoolers is not the best idea in the world.

 

In the end, the party that ended up going to get ice cream consisted of Alya, Marinette, Nino, and, surprisingly, Adrien who had admitted that he had lied about having a school commitment to his bodyguard so that he would show up a bit later than usual. More than likely, he knew. Natalie too. Hopefully they were just choosing to look the other way for right now because of how busy his schedule had been.

 

The four of them walked out of the school, talking excitedly amongst themselves. Marinette couldn’t help but muse at how possibly ironic the whole thing was; here she was, walking and talking with the boy she had a crush on, and for once in her life, she wasn’t acting like she had no control over her body. On the other hand, the longer they talked, the more she realized that maybe the situation wasn’t ironic so much as bittersweet. After all, she had a soulmate. She knew this from the blue that appeared on her skin every now and then but she had never seen any evidence of Adrien getting injured. He always looked immaculate. Perfect. Just as his father required him to be. Her face fell the more she thought about this and by the time they had reached André’s cart and, as the others ordered, she fell back a bit, rubbing her hands up on her upper arm, a chill seemingly go up her body. Adrien noticed. He eyed her for a second before turning to Alya and Nino, “Hey! You two mind getting the ice cream? Marinette and I’ll go find a  place to sit in the park.”

 

“Sure thing dude,” Nino replied.  Adrien smiled at Marinette.

 

“Let’s head to the park Marinette.” She blinked and looked. As always, his smile was blinding and she almost felt like she should have been wearing sunglasses against it. She only nodded as a response. The two of them stepped across the road, entering into the park which was filled with families and others enjoying the sunny day. Adrien squinted. “How about over there? I think I see a bench over that way.”

 

“How about the grass instead,” she offered. “It would feel more like a picnic I think.”

 

“That’s a great idea Marinette!” He moved in the direction she motioned. Together, they claimed an area for the four of them and he laid back, arms spread. Marinette watched him but sat next to him. After a few minutes of silence, Adrien slowly asked, “Hey… is everything alright?”

 

She blushed, “Uh? Huh yeah. Everything’s great.” Pause. “W-why do you ask?”

 

He shrugged. “You just… you don’t seem like you normally do Marinette. I’m concerned.” A smile appeared on her face.

 

“I’m alright,” she confirmed. This seemed to calm him down a bit and his shoulders slumped a bit. “Just a lot to think about right now.”

 

“I can understand that. Do you… do you want to talk about it? I find that it helps.” A laugh suddenly tore from her throat and he blinked, a little concerned now. “Uh… Marinette…?”

 

“Sorry,” she managed out, “Sorry. I just… how do I even explain this? If someone had told me at the beginning of the year that I’d be talking to you like this… I probably would have called them crazy.” Adrien’s eyes narrowed.

 

“You do know that I’m human too right?”

 

That stopped her. Marinette froze and blinked at him, realizing that her words had hurt him. She quickly waved her hands around, “I’m so sorry! That’s not what I meant. I mean I didn’t think you saw me as someone who you could talk to like that, not like Nino at least, because you two are best friends and….” She stopped. Looking abashed, she ducked her head and twiddled her thumbs. “I’m sorry Adrien. I didn’t mean to make you feel like I don’t value you.”

 

He was slow to respond, his chest feeling funny, “It’s alright Marinette. I guess… neither of us has exactly been clear where we stand but I think we can safely say, friends?” She nodded.

 

“Friends.” He smiled in return.

 

“And as friends, we can talk to each other about our worries. So, what’s worrying you.”

 

She hesitated for a second before drawing her knees up to under her chin, her eyes glazing over a bit.

 

“Do you… believe in soul mates,” she asked softly. Adrien opened his eyes, looking at her profile, but she didn’t or wouldn’t meet his gaze. He shrugged.

 

“I do,” he confirmed. He was smiling when she finally faced him, “I mean, after all, Alya and Nino exist.” She giggled.

 

“Those two are head over heels.” She paused again. “I mean… have you heard the legend of the Blue Marks?”

 

“The marks that appear when your soulmate is hurting,” he asked softly. She nodded. “I’ve heard of it. What about it?”  

 

They fell silent. Neither of them wanted to say it out loud but they had noticed. There was a rule, a socially, unspoken rule, where one was not to mention or point out if they experienced the blue marks for a variety of reasons; the two biggest where one, not everyone experienced them and so, it could easily be an awkward situation for those involved and, two, the only thing that could be confirmed was that the marks appeared when your partner was in pain. Need society say anymore about it? Unless you were some level of a jerk (in that case, why did you even have a soulmate?), that was not something you had a right to share. It was essentially private information. As two with soulmates themselves, they had been watching and looking. They had seen the way Nino’s skin had lighted briefly after Alya had received a paper cut or how her wrist sometimes throbbed from Nino’s frequent musical practices. They had seen. They had known. It had taken a little working (and some time spent in a jaguar’s cage) to finally get them together but they couldn’t help but admit there was a slightly bitter taste in their mouths.  

 

She pulled at some of the grass next to her. “I… uh… well… I was thinking that it was… romantic idea. I think it would be nice to have a soulmate like that.”

 

“Yeah,” he replied, “it would be nice. Your parents seem like they’re pretty close too.”

 

“Oh yeah. They are totally soulmates” She made a funny face which made him chuckle. “You know, they love to tell me the story of how they met. It was during a baking class. Mom said Dad was too busy staring at her during their practical class one day and ended up cutting his hand by accident; she immediately volunteered to take him to the nurse’s office and helped him get fixed up. He was so nervous! Apparently, he somehow managed to ask her out. It was all downhill.” Her smiled softened. “Dad proposed after they had eaten some of André’s ice cream and, well, the rest is history.” She obviously left out the part where her mother’s skin had lit up brightly upon her father’s injury but, to be fair, she herself had only heard that part of the story the previous year.

 

“I didn’t take your father for a careless baker,” he mused.

 

She snorted, “He isn’t. It just… happened.”

 

“Then again, I don’t blame him, as deeply in love your mother he is. It makes some sense.” He leaned back on the grass, putting his hands behind his head, closing his eyes. She watched him. Adrien took a deep breath, “My parents met in a similar fashion.” She narrowed her eyes. No way… did he just… did he just pun?

 

She chose to ignore it.

 

He didn’t realize his slip of tongue, “Mama was working under Mayor Bourgeois; you see, he was a film director in his younger years and she was performing as the lead in the movie he was directing. He hired my dad to design the outfits the actors would wear and… well….” He fell silent. Marinette, who had turned her attention away to look at a small family that had crossed nearby, blinked and looked back. Her face paled. Adrien’s breathing was suddenly rougher, labored, and he clutched at his chest. Without opening his eyes, he turned, curling in on himself, trying in a futile attempt to stop the pain that spread from his chest and across his shoulders. He’d had panic attacks before. He knew that he needed to breathe. His friend though….

 

“Adrien? Adrien! Are you alright?” She reached over, gently touching his shoulder.

 

“Panic… attack,” he managed out. Marinette bit her bottom lip.

 

“Wh-what can I do? I want to help!” He took a deep breath.

 

“Stay… here.” She nodded even though his eyes were still shut.

 

“I’m not going anywhere,” she soothed. He didn’t respond. Instead, he tried to slow his breathing, waiting for the wave of pain to pass. Marinette could only watch while he was in pain, her hand never leaving his shoulder to reassure him that she was there. That’s when she noticed it. Her eyes went wide and mouth slightly opened as she noticed a faint blue glow appearing on his white over shirt and looking down rapidly revealed her own skin producing the glow. Everything across her front, chest, shoulders, and neck, was alight. It… it wasn’t possible! Her mind now began to spin. Was she going to have an attack herself?

 

However, there was no denying the evidence.

 

Adrien Agreste, the young man curled next to her, coming out of an attack, was her soulmate.

 

She jerked when she heard her name called. Quickly using her free hand to close the jacket, she turned to find Nino and Alya approaching and their faces twisted upon seeing Adrien on his side. They ran over.

 

“What happened,” Alya asked. Marinette licked her lip.

 

“We were talking and he suddenly had a panic attack.”

 

“Should we call someone,” Nino asked, his voice going a little higher than normal. “I have the Gorilla on speed dial…”

 

“I’m… I’m alright,” Adrien broke in. They turned back to him. His eyes were open and a bit dull. “I’m alright,” he assured them. Slowly he sat up and Marinette dropped her hand on him but not the one on her jacket which still hid the soft blue glow that was still a bit in his chest. He breathed deeply for a few minutes. “I’m alright. I… I get those every now and then.”

 

“If you need to go home,” Nino started. Adrien nodded.

 

“I think that might be for the best.” Nino handed Marinette her ice cream before standing and offering his friend a hand. Adrien took it gratefully. “The Gorilla will be waiting for me at the school.”

 

“We’ll walk you there,” Alya noted softly. He smiled at the three of them.

 

“Thank you.” Marinette stood up. However, she nearly fell without the use of her hands. Nino, busy with trying to help support Adrien, and Adrien, busy trying to knock the two of them over, didn’t notice but Alya, eagle-eyed journalist that she was, did. She eyed the girl up and down. Nothing came from her mouth. That was, until they started walking towards the school.

 

The two girls fell back and when the boys were out of earshot, Alya asked, “Marinette, is everything alright?” She flinched.

 

“Y-yeah! Everything’s super,” she stuttered out. Alya eyed her up and down. It took everything she had to not flinch under the scrutiny.

 

“You know,” she slowly started, “You can talk to me right?” Marinette nodded.

 

“I know. That’s why you’re my best friend,” she whispered.

 

Alya nodded and walked past her, “Just come to me when you’re ready to talk. My number’s on speed dial after all.” Marinette hummed and started after her. Before they could catch up with the boys, however, an explosion rocked the sidewalk and they staggered to their knees, dropping all of the ice cream they were carrying. Both looked up in time to see a couple of cars go flying. Apparently it hadn’t been an explosion. Just falling cars. Alya’s face lit up and she scrambled to her feet. “An akuma! I’ve totally got to get this for the blog.”

 

“Alya,” Marinette called. It was too late though. The young journalist was off and running towards danger. Marinette grunted before diving into a nearby alleyway; Tikki flew out of her purse.

 

“Marinette, what was that,” the kwami asked worried.

 

“Cars being thrown like nothing. It’s time for Ladybug to show up.” She released her jacket, happy to see the blue glow gone, “And once that’s done, I need to talk to you about my soulmate.” Tikki blinked. Then her eyes grew wide and she flew close to her face.

 

“You found them?!” Marinette smiled and pushed her back gently.

 

“Later. Right now, Tikki! Spots on!” The red kwami spiraled into the earrings the young girl constantly wore and a few seconds later, Ladybug, superhero of Paris, appeared on the rooftops, taking off to find where the akuma had disappeared to.

 

The constant sound of dropping cars helped.


	4. The Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the other person now makes a realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies! Dragon here with Bastet again to update! We are proud to say that we are almost done with this story! We hope that you enjoy this chapter and the rest of the story!

A panic attack was not a laughing matter. They had been particularly common for Adrien a couple of months after his mother first disappeared. He would wake up after a nightmare, confused and dizzy but instead of calming down after a few moments, a sense of terror would start to creep on him as his heart started racing. His chest would hurt and breathing would become quite difficult.

During the first month, he told no one but could not hide it any more after Gorilla caught him having one before an event near Mother's Day and helped him through it. 

He knew the signs by now and was pretty adept at handling one but being so close to the anniversary of his mother's disappearance, along with the talk about soulmates and parents, made it difficult to handle. The irrational fear of being alone and never having a happy family again was overwhelming. Now that it was starting to pass, he felt guilty; he was finally making progress with Marinette and even if his friends had been supportive, he felt like he had screwed up by ruining the moment. 

He was so deep in thought and still a bit dizzy that he didn't realize he was walking alongside Nino and had left the spot where he was sitting with Marinette a bit ago. A loud sound startled him and made him jump.

“Bro, was that...?” Nino asked, startled. Looking around for Alya and Marinette Adrien turned to address Nino.

“You should probably go check on Alya. She’s no doubt running towards the akuma right now man”.

Nino frowned at him before answering. “You sure? Will you be ok?”

“I’m sure. I can reach Gorilla by myself. Go check on the girls for me.” Nino hesitated for a second before smiling and giving him a thumbs up. Waiting until Nino was out of sight, he ducked behind a car and took a deep breath.

“You ok kid?” Plagg was out of his pocket and nuzzling his cheek, softly purring in an effort to help him get settled. The Marks were always a source of comfort, specially on the nights filled with nightmares, and after becoming Chat Noir, Plagg’s purring had become one too. 

“I’m better now buddy. Let’s not keep the Lady waiting, Plagg, claws out!”

When Chat arrived on the scene, Ladybug was already there, dodging the akuma's projectiles. He stood at the edge of a building, assessing the situation for a second. Knockout seemed to be a boxing related akuma. It was a girl, probably no older than 20 wearing shorts, a t-shirt and boxing gloves in shades of green and purple. Her hair was the brightest orange he had ever seen and a shiny gold medal was hanging on her neck. 

"That's probably where the butterfly is." Chat whispered as he leap into the air, twisting his body mid jump to be able to kick the mailbox that was flying seconds ago towards Ladybug, sending it back to the akuma.

"Thank you Chat!" Ladybug exclaimed, relief by his appearance. 

He bow to her with a smile and approached her swistly. “It was nothing my Lady, I’m sure between the two of us we will have her on the ropes soon enough”. 

“No doubts about that kitty. Let’s make her throw in the towel.“ Ladybug shared a look with him; by now they had defeated enough akumas together to be able to fall back into an easy fighting routine, the trust they shared apparent in their movements. 

Seeing another projectile coming their way, Ladybug jumped back and threw her yo-yo at the akuma to distract her "Chat!". 

"I'm on it my Lady!" He ran to it, avoiding the falling debris and jumping on top of the upside-down cars. Soon, he was in punching distance and the akuma started to throw right and left punches. Those were easy to deflect with his baton and quick reflexes but they were particularly strong. He had tried to cut the ribbon holding the medal with his claws but no luck there; the ribbon was harder than metal.

His body ached, despite being in the front lines more often than not but it was rare for an akuma to get so many hits on him. He was thankful for the miraculous cure in cases like this one since, once it was casted, all the pain and injuries sustained in the battle went away. If not, he was sure his bruises would have bruises. And his soulmate would always be covered in blue. He flinched at the thought. Since he became Chat, he was sure they were constantly worried and confused about the big patches of blue that would suddenly appear and then disappear. He hasn't decided on a way to explain that yet. 

While he was delaying the akuma, he heard the cry of "Lucky charm" and crouched down to avoid a fist to the face. Two seconds later, he felt pain explode on his jaw; the akuma had kick him with her knee on the jaw.

He stumbled backwards, the akuma's attention still on him. He ignored the pain and, extending his baton, he tried to make her lose her footing. Too preoccupied with Chat, the akuma wasn't able to sidestep what seemed to be a red and black dotted ball rapidly approaching; it hit her straight in the face, disorientating her and making her vulnerable. 

Ignoring the pain, he called Cataclysm and extended his arm, the tip of his claws touching the bright colored ribbon. Clutching her nose the akuma fell to her knees as the medal rolled away from her. 

“Boxing is not the sport for me.” Chat said as he picked it up and turned around. “Here you go my…” He froze for a second, unable to take his eyes off of Ladybug’s face as he handed her the medal.

“Thanks Chat!” Ladybug took it. Chat had to remind himself how to breath. She broke it in half. He opened and closed his mouth a couple times, but no words came out. She purified the akuma and he took a deep breath. She used the cure and the pain of the battle went away and so did the twin cobalt mark on Ladybug’s jaw. 

He approached her with a smile on his face and raised his fist at the same time as her, “Pound it!” 

A second later her earrings beeped and another dot disappeared, it was time for her to leave. “Oh! I have to go now. See you later Chat!” 

He waved at her, still a little lost for words and watched her leap into the air with her yo-yo. He still had a couple of minutes left so he turned to the confused, young woman still on the floor and explained the situation to her. After making sure she was alright, he leaped into the air too and used the rooftops to get to the school, where Gorilla was still waiting for him. 

He knew he was gonna get an earful from everyone for not getting to safety during the akuma attack, especially after having an attack of his own but he was not worried. There was a smile stuck on his face. All the anxiety and fear from earlier was gone and he felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He knew he needed to talk to her and figure out what they were gonna do about pretty much everything. Things like secret identities, favorite colors and the date of the wedding but right now there was only one thought on his mind...

_I finally found her._


	5. The Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wild plot twist appeared! What will Adrien do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bastet here with Dragon! We would like to thank you all for the lovely comments and all the support. We are almost done with this story so stay tune!

Marinette bit her lip, her eyes closed as she tried to come to terms with the information that she had just come across. Her arms were propped against the metal of her railing as she allowed her exposed skin to be chilled by the cool air of the month until she felt that her head was going to stop spinning. Tikki watched her. The silence seemed to stretch for ages between the two of them; she didn’t want to disturb her thoughts but she also had a deep desire to help and those fought within. Tikki opened her mouth. She closed it though without a word. The silence continued on.

 

“What do I do,” Marinette finally asked the wind. “Adrien Agreste is my soulmate!” Tikki flew up, placing a gentle hand on her face. The girl opened her eyes wide, tears forming at the corners, but they didn’t fall.

 

“This is great Marinette,” she chirped. “You should talk to him. I’m sure… I’m sure the news would do him some good.” She swallowed hard. Leaning her head up, she looked down at her folded hands.

 

“I know,” she whispered. “But… how do… How do I tell him without hurting him?” Tikki bit her bottom lip.

 

“How about being straight with him? Dancing around the fact won’t do either of you any good and,” she flew higher, catching the girl’s eyes and forcing her to look at her as an equal, “I’m sure only good things will come out of this. You’ve wanted a reason to know Adrien. What’s better than being soulmates?”

 

“But that seems… shallow….”

 

Tikki shook her head, “It’s not. There’s a lot of reasons for you two to talk.” Marinette turned, her arms crossed under her as she looked out on the horizon of the Paris skyline. It sparkled in the darkened night. A gentle orange glow from the city mingled with the dark of the sky and there was a soft transition from city to stars that she stared into, trying to come to terms with her conflicting feelings. On one hand, Tikki was right. They needed to have a straightforward conversation about this situation. On the other, what if she messed up? What if things didn’t go right? She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. It didn’t help. She still felt conflicted. Her eyes looked down and then she spun suddenly, causing her kwami to have to catch up quickly as she ducked back into her room, climbing down her bed, and stopping at her desk. She grabbed her phone before sitting on her lounge. Tikki flew up to her. “What are you doing Marinette?”

 

“I think it’s time,” she breathed, dialing the number that was third in her speed dials, “that I spoke to Alya about this.” Tikki smiled and nodded before flying back up to the bed, leaving the two to have a private conversation.

 

******

 

Marinette took a deep breath. Alya had been a big help the previous night and her nerves oddly felt calm at the thought of the impending conversation. She swallowed hard though. Her tongue felt a bit heavy in her mouth and she prayed silently that her luck would hold out, that this wasn’t about to backfire on her big time. She squeezed the handle of her bag. Several of her classmates greeted her which she returned with a happy a wave and an equally bright greeting returned to them. They went on about their way.

 

A shadow crossed into her vision. Marinette looked up to find Chloe and Sabrina standing there, snickering down at her. She took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders, readying for the impending battle.

 

“Chloe,” she greeted shortly. Her somewhat happy demeanor was gone within a second. The blonde sneered.

 

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” she returned. “Standing here on the corner of the building like a beggar. Seems appropriate.”

 

“Really? Your insults are getting kind of weak Chloe,” she returned coolly. “Now could you move along? I have business to attend to.”

 

“And what kind of business might that be,” Sabrina added, crossing her arms, “You can’t seriously be waiting for someone!”

 

“Whether I am waiting for someone or not is none of your business,” Marinette hissed. “I’m getting real tired of the two of you messing with me. Would you please just go away?”

 

“And miss the chance at seeing you embarrass yourself in front of whoever it is? Please. I wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

 

Marinette wasn’t sure if she was seeing red or losing her nerve but before she could respond, another shadow crossed into their way. Chloe and Sabrina spun. Adrien stared at the three of them, his face twisted into his light, angelic smirk that he used for pretty much everything. Her stomach twisted. The expression… rubbed her wrong. It wasn’t right. Natural. Chloe squealed and jumped for him, catching him around the neck, and slightly knocking them off balance a bit. He caught them though. She rubbed her head cheek against his but he didn’t try to force him off. “Adrikins! How great it is to see you!”

 

“Hey Chloe,” he returned. He gently pushed her off, holding her at the shoulders. His eyes shot to Marinette and his face turned a bit, shocked at the clear expression of anger that resided there, even though she had been angry before in his presence. He squeezed her shoulders. “Chloe, why don’t you head to class? I forgot something with the Gorilla so I’ll be up in a minute.” She nodded quickly. He had to keep his shoulders natural to not give away the lie that she bought so easily.

 

“Sure thing!” Sabrina looked between the two of them but said nothing, choosing to just follow her friend without question. Adrien sighed. Marinette blinked. He turned to her, running a hand over the back of his neck as he looked at her abashedly.

 

“Sorry about that Marinette,” he started. “I don’t know what she said to you but I feel like I owe you an apology.” She shook her head.

 

“You don’t have to apologize,” she promised him. “It wasn’t your fight to worry about. She just wanted to cause trouble with me. Same as always.” She paused. “Adrien… I….” She took a breath. “I need to talk to you. That’s the reason I’m here.” She licked her lips. “Can we… can we talk real quick?” He blinked for a second before nodding and followed her around to a deserted side of the building; now, her nerves were starting to get to her and she had to fight pretty strongly against them from shaking her body to pieces. They stopped in the shadows. Marinette took a breath. “Adrien… I… Okay, there’s not really any good way to avoid this or to lead into this and I don’t want us to dance around the topic.” He leaned his head to the side but his expression didn’t change.

 

“Marinette, whatever you have to say, I’ll listen.”

 

“I know,” she whispered. “That’s what’s so great about you. You’re so kind and brilliant and….” She bit her lip, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

 

He took her hand gently, giving it a squeeze, “It’s alright Marinette. You can say it.” His heart was pounding too and his eyes were dilated. He knew he probably started to look nervous. However, he used all of his training to keep his expression happy or, at least, seeming so. She continued to bite her lip and she looked away, the lack of eye contact making them both more nervous.

 

Finally, she blurted out, “I think I’m your soulmate.”

 

The silence stretched between the two of them. The mask crumbled. Adrien’s mouth dropped open, eyes going wide. His hands tightened on her and she almost wanted to scream with how painful it was. Eventually, he released her, managing to get out, “Wh-what?” She nodded.

 

“The day of your... attack,” she started slowly, “Your whole chest and neck area were hurting right?”  He nodded just as slowly as her words. “I didn’t feel it but my whole skin lit up.” She pulled a pin from her bag, holding out a finger, “I don’t want to alarm you but… can I show you?”

 

“Marinette….” Before he could protest, she stuck the offered appendage. A tiny pearl of blood appeared where she removed the needle and she quickly reached for his hand, turning it over. There, in the same spot as her own, was a tiny point of light. His eyes went wide. Marinette smiled, pleased that the results had been accurate but this didn’t last long, and her expression turned. Adrien was staring at her but his own…. It was twisted and confused. She swallowed hard. He pulled his hand out of her reach, taking two shaky steps back.

 

Before she could stop him, Adrien turn, and ran.

 

He didn’t notice when the skin right above his heart turned the familiar icy blue.

 


	6. The Reconciliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In wich Nino is an awesome bro and there is ice cream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bastet here! Well... it's been a while since our last update, life has been epic for both of us but we are almost done! Just one more chapter before the end! Dragon and I would like to thank you for all the kudos, suscriptions, bookmarks and reviews we received, it really means the world to us!

Half an hour of running later, Adrien found himself sitting on a rooftop, confused and uncertain. He sat with his knees drawn up to his chest and arms wrapped around his legs. Marinette was his soulmate.   _Marinette was his soulmate._

 

“Plagg” he whispered, “Marinette… Marinette is my soulmate”.

 

Finishing a piece of cheese in one go, Plagg turned to give him a confused look, still hovering in the air close to him.  “But didn’t you say that Ladybug was your soulmate?”

 

Adrien looked down at his hand, remembering where the little blue dot had appeared, not just today, but many times before. _Marinette likes to sew; that's why I always got blue dots at night._

 

"She is. Marinette is too." He paused, a tightness in his throat nearly stopping the next round of words from escaping, "There's... I've never heard of anyone having more than one soulmate before."

 

"Doesn't mean it doesn't happen."

 

"I know," he groaned. "But, Plagg, it makes sense." The kwami tilted his head.

 

"What makes sense?"

 

Adrien licked his lips, forcing out between his teeth, "That Marinette... that Marinette is Ladybug." A soft smile came to his face. "I found her Plagg."

 

“Well… there is no point in denying it kid.” Hovering closer, he started petting Adrien’s hair. “This is a good thing right? Now you don’t have to worry about identities and secrets uh?”

 

"That's not the issue here! She always wanted to keep our identities secret to keep us safe." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I've messed up. Not just with Ladybug but with Marinette too.” He put a hand on his chest and grabbing his shirt tightly in his fist, right where a blue glow could be seen through it.  “What was I thinking, running away like that? I deeply hurt her.”

 

Seeing the distress on Adrien’s face, Plagg rubbed his cheek against his and purred for a bit. “You panicked and needed time to figure it out. You should talk to her and explain.  Maybe she won't hold it against you?”

 

“Maybe” Adrien turned to look at the city, absently scratching Plagg behind the ears and releasing his shirt. “I want to make it up to her and tell her the truth about me being Chat Noir. If this is gonna work there should be no secrets between us, and I don't want another misunderstanding because of this. I don't want to hurt her again Plagg. ”

 

“You going back to school then?”

 

“Yes, I need to talk to her.”

 

****

Marinette was not at school and by the dark and questioning looks Alya was sending his way, he had really messed up. He was still thinking about how to make it up to her and trying to look like he was paying attention to class when a blue post it landed on his textbook.

 

_Dude??? - Awesome Bro_

 

He could always count on Nino to know when something was up even if he was trying to hid it. He scribbled a quick reply and passed it back.  

 

_S.O.S I messed up with Mari and Alya may be plotting my demise right now. - Confused and soon to be dead dude_

 

He couldn't tell Nino the whole story and being cornered by Alya after class for an interrogation seemed like something he definitely wanted to avoid before talking to Marinette. A new, and now green, post it landed on his textbook, pulling him out of his thoughts again.

 

_Alya told miss Bustier that Mari wasn't feeling well and went back home. Get her ice cream - Wise bro_

 

Ice cream was a good idea. He could get her today’s assignments and a pint of ice cream as a peace offering and talk things with her. He wasn’t sure if she was angry or sad or both but he had to talk to her either way.

 

_Create a diversion so Alya doesn't kill me first? - Hopeful dude_

 

_You got it ;D - Your bro and savior, Nino the great_

 

******

Going to Mari as Chat Noir wasn’t in the original plan but getting away from everyone was harder than expected; he ended up making his way to Marinette’s house via rooftop instead of walking. When he finally made it there, he paused for a second. Mari was there, sitting on her terrace, draped in a light blanked and talking to a little red plushie. She looked crestfallen so he wasted no more time and made the final jump, landing on her railing and startling her a little.  

 

"Why so sad Purrincess?" He got off of the railing and went to sit next to her on the floor.

 

“Chat Noir!” Her eyes widened. Chat swallowed, knowing that she was confused on top of feeling hurt. She gripped at the blanket around her as she whispered “I don’t want to talk about it.” She hugged herself and looked away until she felt the cold of the pin of ice cream Chat had put next to her.

 

“Then, maybe you would do me the honor of eating this ice cream with me and listen? There is something I have to get out of my chest.” Marinette looked at the hopeful look Chat was giving her and couldn't say no.

 

“Ok.” She grabbed one of the spoons Chat was holding and opened the ice cream while waiting for Chat to start, a couple of spoonfuls later he set down his spoon and started talking.

 

“I got hurt during the last akuma battle, she was really strong and got me a couple of times before Ladybug used her Lucky Charm. When we finished the battle, and before Ladybug could heal me, I turned to her and saw it. A bright blue mark on Ladybug’s chin right were the akuma hit me and it disappear when she fixed everything.”

 

“Chat?” Marinette had stopped eating, spoon halfway to her mouth, her eyes staring at him in confusion and her hands were trembling. _There were no recorded cases of having more than one soulmate._

 

“I was extremely happy. I had always admired Ladybug and finding out she was my destined was a nice surprise. I wanted to talk to her about it but she went away too fast so I decided to wait for the next time I saw her, there was no point in rushing it.” He took a deep breath before continuing and looked Marinette in the eyes. “To my surprise she had found out about it too and beat me to it. I was too confused and reacted poorly. I ran away from her and hid for a while, trying to sort out my feelings, and in the process I hurt her. I am really sorry about that and would like to make it up to her and get to know her better inside and outside of the mask... my best friend told me ice cream could help.”

 

Marinette was crying at this point, ice cream completely forgotten on the side. She could not believe what she was hearing. Her mind raced. It didn't take long for the thoughts to come together, almost like a puzzle finally being put together. She took a sharp breath. _Chat Noir was her soulmate and Adrien was Chat Noir._

 

“Plagg, claws in.” In a shimmer of light, Chat Noir disappear and Adrien stood on his place, confirming what she already knew. “I’m really sorry my lady. Would you give me another chance?”

 

Marinette was confused, still a bit hurt and sad but also happy. This was not how any of them have planned things to go but if there was anyone out there she would have wanted to be her soulmate, besides Adrien, it was Chat Noir. She wanted to be mad at him and say no but hurting him was out of the question. She had seen enough blue on her skin already. Maybe they could start over and get it right this time.

 

“I think I would like that chaton.” The brilliant smile Adrien gave her made it worth it.


	7. The Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a new story begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Bastet here, I can't believe we finally reached the ending!   
> Working alongside dragon to bring you guys this was an incredible experience and as much as I'm sad its ending I'm also quite happy to mark this fic as complete. We wanted to thank you all for all the love this fic got and we hope you enjoy the last chapter!

A little girl kicked her feet excitedly back and forth as she sat on her family’s couch, a large, green photo album opened on her lap. She turned the pages. Her blue-bell eyes scanned each page with excitement while golden curls bounced with the movement of her body. She loved the family album. There were so many brilliant stories behind each picture. A shadow crossed into her light, causing her to look up.

 

“Momma,” she squeaked out. The woman, much taller with short black hair and equally blue eyes, smirked at her. She was wearing a white collared shirt tucked into a pencil line skirt, an outfit she wore frequently to work at her company  _ La Coccinelle Designs _ .  The little girl started to close the album. However, her action was stopped by the woman who reached down, taking it gently from her hands before sitting next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. 

 

“Looking at the album again,” Marinette teased. “You’ve seen it a million times Emma.” The little girl snuggled into her side, giggling.

 

“Could you tell me a story from the album?” She looked up at Marinette with the best puppy eyes she could muster.

 

Smiling softly at her Marinette gave a couple sound kisses on the cheek. “Go get your brothers and I’ll tell you one. But once I’m done you are all going straight to bed ok?”

 

Emma quickly nodded and scrambled off the couch and into the hall; in her haste, she tripped over her shoelaces and fell. 

 

Marinette dropped the album and hurried to her, “You ok sweetie?”

 

Emma’s eyes were glassy with tears and her knees hurt quite a bit, but there was no blood or ugly scratches. “It hurts.”

 

“I know it hurts honey. Come on, let's sit you on the couch so I can check you better.” Emma didn't protest. Her knees were still hurting after all.

 

A few kilometers aways from there, in one of the top suits of the Grand Paris Hotel, a redhead child, just one year older than Emma was staring curiously at his knees, that now sported a pale shade of cobalt blue.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! We'd love to hear your thoughts on the story so far and we hope you'll hang around for the rest!


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